The candles were burning low when I opened my computer to find my “Nyepi To Do” list on the desktop. I breathed a sigh of relief that I hadn’t noticed it until Nyepi was nearly over. Otherwise, I might have opened it and attempted to be productive on the Balinese New Year, a day of silence, meditation and self-reflection. The list was, at its best, half-hearted...

I have this letter above my bed written by one of the student midwives that arrived from Italy during my first three months in Bali. Her name was Valentina, and I remember that it took me a while to warm up to her. I guess it was mostly because I had no interest in trying. At the time, I was in perfect honeymoon bliss with my new best friend, Liz, so there was no...